The line-up for speakers at this year's Solar Power UK conference (18-19 October at the IET, London) has been expanded to meet the rapidly changing nature of the UK market. The latest figures released from Ofgem suggest the UK market should reach an installed figure of 60MW by the end of 2010.
The programme has been extended to bring into play all elements of the solar marketplace in the UK. Starting with a policy session, the conference will look at the European political landscape with a presentation by Adel El Gammal, secretary general of EPIA, followed by a look at the UK's position with Alan Whitehead, MP and chairman of the Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group, and David Wagstaff, head of distributed energy at DECC.
A core component of the market is to look at projects that are currently underway. In response to this, the organisers have added Ray Morgan, CEO of Woking Council, to discuss the use of solar energy to combat fuel poverty; Abraham Cambridge, CEO of R-ECO, which is currently constructing the UK's first ever solar park in Cornwall; and Rob Jarman, director at the National Trust (NT), who will look at how the NT will use up to 200 buildings next year to generate its own electricity to help in combating climate change.
A new session created to address the financial and legal requirements for the UK solar industry will feature John Miles of RBS, who will take a look at financial models in the UK. Stephen Hill, partner at Eversheds LLP, will shed light on how transference of ownership on solar systems will take place.
Focusing on challenges of supply, cost and the rapid growth in demand for solar in the UK, the conference will be divided into seven sessions over the two days.
Exclusive announcements on the role of transformer-less inverters in the UK solar market are proving to be some of the more popular sessions, as are presentations on how the MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) will be changed to accommodate building-integrated solar installations.
"We urge interested parties to book now to avoid disappointment, as the event is already proving hugely popular," said conference organiser David Owen. "With such a prestigious roll-call of speakers and contributors, the conference looks set to open a new UK chapter in the ever-expanding uptake of photovoltaics as a viable energy source."
